Next, Xie Yu carefully asked about the butcher Yu’s name, address, physical characteristics, daily activities, and whether he had any enemies.
Zhang the pork seller answered dejectedly but also tried to defend Yu.
Xie Yu said, “Whether he is innocent will be determined by the authorities. You needn’t say more.”
Based on the accounts of this father and son, Yu the butcher was indeed not well-liked. He had a strange temper, few friends, and many enemies.
If someone like him really committed a crime, it wouldn’t be surprising.
Ma Bing found it somewhat strange—if he had indeed cut up a corpse, why would he take a knife with him?
Moreover, if it was just one disposal, why not do it all at once?
Even if he couldn’t carry everything in one trip, making multiple trips to the same place increased the risk of being seen.
In short, there were many suspicious points.
Seeing Zhang glancing sideways at his son Xiaozhu, Xie Yu specifically warned, “Don’t take it out on him. He distinguishes between public and private matters and knows to report to the authorities when something happens. I’ll make this clear—now that I know your address and occupation, I will certainly follow up in the future.”
The boy looked shy but was actually quite clever, much more so than his stubborn father.
Upon hearing this, Zhang immediately quieted down and sullenly agreed.
Whether the official would truly follow up, he didn’t know, but he was an official after all, and ordinary people had to obey officials.
Yuanpei asked, “Sir, shall I bring people to investigate?”
According to the law, local authorities must respond to any report of a murder case, whether true or false.
If it’s a false case, they must personally expose it; if it’s real, they must solve it.
Xie Yu said, “We don’t yet know whether it’s true or false, so there’s no need to make a big show of it. Just the four of us will go.”
He felt there were many inconsistencies, and he needed to see things with his own eyes to feel at ease.
They say a doctor is worth half a coroner, and that’s no exaggeration. With Ma Bing along, as long as it’s not an old corpse, she could handle most situations.
If it turned out to be a misunderstanding, everyone would be happy; if it was indeed a murder case, being there would save them the trouble of having to return for more information.
By now, it was almost lunchtime. Besides, Yu the butcher always acted at night, so going early would be useless.
Xie Yu decided they would all go to Zhangyu Village after lunch.
Zhangyu Village was the village where Zhang and his family lived, not far from the prefectural city. It would take about half an hour to get there by horse or carriage. Long ago, several households with the surnames Zhang and Yu settled there first. Later, they intermarried, the population grew, and the village was named Zhangyu Village.
Although other surnames have since moved in, Zhang and Yu remain the most common in the village.
Ma Bing invited Xiaozhu and his father to stay for lunch, planning to leave together in the afternoon.
But Zhang absolutely refused.
He was already nervous enough just being in the same room with the officers after entering the government office.
How could he dare to dine with them?
It wouldn’t do, absolutely not!
“It’s too much trouble for the adults to take care of us,” he said, rubbing his hands and sweating. “Thanks to your kindness, we sold out early today, so we might as well go out for a bite to eat, and perhaps buy some things and fabric for the elders and women at home.”
As Ma Bing was admiring his thoughtfulness, she saw Xie Yu glance at him and casually say, “Ade, take him to the big kitchen to eat.”
The government office had two kitchens: the small kitchen was for officials and their families, with more refined dishes. Ma Bing and Wang Heng, as special talents, also ate there.
The big kitchen was for lower-ranking clerks, servants, and occasionally commoners who came to report cases and couldn’t return immediately or were pitied by the authorities and invited to stay for a meal.
Zhang became even more nervous when he heard Xie Yu say, “Don’t think too much about it.”
His fat face immediately turned bright red, his eyes wide with fear.
Only then did Ma Bing and the others realize:
This guy was planning to warn the butcher!
Zhangyu Village wasn’t far. If he skipped lunch and rode hard, he might actually make a round trip before dinner!
It was really hard to know what to say.
Xie Yu nodded slightly to Ade, who half-dragged half-led the father and son away.
Before leaving, Zhang couldn’t help but glance longingly at the two big pots in the courtyard.
Sigh, Ma’s cooking was much better than the big kitchen!
Ma Bing waved her ladle at him: “I’ll save some for you!”
Whether it was cooked or not, the four of them couldn’t possibly finish an entire pig’s head in one meal!
Xie Yu also looked at Zhang for a moment and shook his head.
Filial piety and loyalty have always been common, nothing unusual.
Those being served naturally have good fortune, but for outsiders like them, it’s definitely not a good thing when such people get involved.
“Sir, do you think this Zhang the pork seller is really stupid or just pretending?” Yuanpei said, setting the table skillfully.
“With what he did, Yu’s suspicion has gone from 50% to 80%!”
Maybe he’s pretending to be stupid, deliberately encouraging his son to report the case, acting as the good guy so that when Yu finds out, he won’t be angry at him.
He covers all bases, both inside and out. Even if others find out, they can only praise him for being kind and loyal.
“Whether it’s true or false, we’ll know when we see it,” Ma Bing said, lifting the pot lid and releasing a thick, almost tangible aroma that almost knocked people over.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or false,” Xie Yu said, washing his hands and sitting down to wait for the meal.
For the authorities, solving the case is the only goal. Whether those people are playing tricks or what kind of tricks they’re playing doesn’t matter as long as it’s not illegal.
Ma Bing stuck her chopsticks into the pig’s head and shook her head. “The time was too short. It needs more stewing, otherwise it won’t be tender and flavorful enough. We’ll waste good meat. Let’s eat the braised pork first.”
She turned to Wang Heng. “Old man, I have a task for you. When we go out on duty later, please help me watch the fire.”
About two hours later, before leaving, she would extinguish the open flame and use only the residual heat to simmer. After half an hour of simmering, Wang Heng could remove all the coals and let the pig’s head absorb the flavor and cool down.
Otherwise, if cooked too long, it would lose all texture and turn into a pot of mushy meat, which would be unappetizing.
Wang Heng chuckled and nodded. “Okay, I’ve done this many times. I’m familiar with the job.”
Ma Bing always liked to cook, mostly medicinal dishes, but also many purely for fun. Sometimes when she went out on official business, it was Wang Heng who helped watch over things.
Wang Heng paused and smiled again. “Since I was three or four years old, my grandfather would take me to the pharmacy to play and watch them boil medicine. At six, I was already assigned to watch the fire. Now, it’s like returning to my old job!”
Everyone laughed along.
Ma Bing said, “Then I’ll specially cut you a pig’s ear to go with your wine!”
Pig’s ears are tender on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a unique texture, perfect for drinking.
Wang Heng said happily, “That’s exactly what I like!”
Pig’s head meat needs to be whole to be delicious after cooking and flavoring, but braised pork doesn’t need that.
Perhaps Zhang was overly filial, but the pork he sold was indeed excellent—layers of red and white belly fat, looking inviting. Ma Bing had already sliced them into chunks with a sharp knife and first pan-fried them dry to remove the surface fat.
The meat blocks turned golden after frying, contracted, and became more tender. Then she added spices and started stewing.
After several rounds of burning firewood, the originally watery broth gradually became sauce, with a noticeable sticky feel when the bubbles burst, and the sound was no longer as crisp as at first.
This meant the fat had gradually been stewed out, and it was almost done.
Opening the pot, indeed:
A pot of reddish-brown, glossy braised pork blocks. A gentle poke with the tip of the chopsticks made them obediently split open, no need to apply much force.
There was no need to reduce the sauce too much—the thick broth was a treasure. If there was no time to prepare rice, just pouring the sauce over noodles could make several bowls!
Wang Heng’s apprentice went to the small kitchen and brought back several vegetable dishes and staple food, setting a proper table. Everyone then sat down to eat.
Most of the clerks in the government office were locally recruited, but many officials were from southern regions, so daily staple food included both rice and steamed buns.
Yuanpei, with his many clever ideas, ate several pieces of braised pork with rice, grabbed a solid steamed bun, blew on it to cool it down, split it in half, and stuffed it full of braised pork. When he squeezed it, the sticky sauce oozed out from the seams, sparkling in the sunlight.
Wang Heng and his apprentices found it interesting and followed suit.
Some did it well, others not so much, resulting in a mess.
Meanwhile, Ade took the Zhang father and son to the big kitchen for lunch, and it wasn’t lonely there either.
Zhang saw that all the officers were tall and imposing, dressed neatly, and apparently had meat every meal, which made him envious.
He timidly imitated others to get his meal, then patted his son’s head and whispered, “If you can one day get a government job, I can die with my eyes closed.”
People like them, from humble backgrounds, worked from morning to night and barely earned enough to live on, vulnerable to any hardship or illness.
But once entering the government office and getting a government salary, not only would they be provided with food and clothing, but others would also respect them. As long as they didn’t commit major offenses, they would have hope for life.
Xiaozhu didn’t even lift his head while eating. After a while, he raised his face, covered in rice grains, and asked in confusion, “But Dad, didn’t you always say to stay away from government people because they aren’t good folks?”
His voice wasn’t low. When he said this, the entire area fell silent, and countless officers turned their eyes toward him, sizing up who dared to provoke them in their own house.
Ade chewed his rice noisily and clicked his tongue.
Zhang wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground. He kept apologizing all around and slapped his son’s head, “Shut up!”
It’s precisely because they aren’t good folks that it’s good!
Besides, that was said about outsiders. As long as you yourself become an officer, even if you go to heaven, it’s still good.
Soon after, everyone finished their meal, and Ade brought the father and son back. Without a word, he went straight to lift the lid of the pot and, like Yuanpei, eagerly picked up a steamed bun stuffed with braised meat to eat.
No choice, he was too hungry. He had only half-filled his stomach at the big kitchen, deliberately leaving room to come back for more.
It was the hottest part of the afternoon in midsummer. They were sweating profusely just being outside for a short while. The group took turns resting briefly, waiting until the sun had slightly tilted westward before heading to Zhangyu Village.
Although the sun had passed its zenith, the ground heat remained intense, distorting the view and beating hotly on their faces, as if they had fallen into a steamer.
The group didn’t dare to linger on the road and followed the roadside shade all the way, rushing forward.
Zhang had come in a donkey cart, and probably the donkey had never run this fast in its life. At first, it still “neighed” a few times, but later, it just kept its nose and mouth open, panting heavily.
Most of the able-bodied people were in the fields, and few of the elderly and children at home went out, making the entire village quiet.
However, most farming households kept dogs, and Xie Yu and others didn’t want to be too conspicuous, so they didn’t enter the village rashly.
Yu the butcher lived near the village entrance, and every night he had to pass through a small path planted with elm trees to go up the mountain. The group went to hide in the bushes.
Shaded by the trees, it wasn’t so hot anymore.
To prevent the news from leaking, Xie Yu didn’t let Xiaozhu go home.
At his age, the child was naturally playful. Having become familiar with everyone, he only thought this was a game of catching bad guys and was very excited, not complaining about going home.
Unfortunately, being young, he lacked endurance. After the long journey, he was already exhausted and was now lying under the shade of a tree, sleeping soundly without a care.
Zhang was squatting with a group of officers, clearly very uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Xie Yu casually asked him about rural life—what crops were planted here, how the harvest was, what he usually did, whether he sent his children to school, etc.
Zhang was initially nervous, but after talking more, he gradually calmed down.
Another hour or so passed, and the sky finally began to darken.
Xiaozhu woke up, rubbed his eyes, and asked, “Are we going to catch the bad guy now?”
Zhang pursed his lips. “That’s your father’s master!”
Xiaozhu was unhappy. “But he always beats you! The master is a bad guy too!”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Zhang was helpless.
There was little entertainment in the village, and after dinner, most villagers went to their courtyards to cool off or gathered in the village square to chat about daily affairs, so no one paid much attention to who was at home or not.
That was when Yu the butcher came out.
As Xiaozhu had described, he wore dark clothes, looking suspicious, one hand holding a large cloth bundle, his waist bulging, probably hiding a knife.
A widower who didn’t know how to live, Yu looked disheveled and gloomy.
Moreover, doing such a trade, Ma Bing could smell the stench from afar, and on such a hot day, countless flies buzzed around him incessantly, making people sick.
It was hard to imagine how he could live like this!
Yu was indeed vigilant, glancing back every few steps. Fearing that the Zhang father and son might expose their whereabouts, and with nothing else to be done, they sent them back home.
After some stops and starts, the group followed Yu the butcher into a wasteland.
For some unknown reason, all the trees here had died, the ground was bare, and not a blade of grass grew. Under the night sky, it was indeed somewhat terrifying.
After arriving here, Yu’s whole demeanor visibly relaxed.
He was clearly familiar with the place and went to a specific spot, opened his bundle, and revealed fresh meat soaked in blood.
Then, he began cutting the meat, slicing it into thin strips.
Xie Yu frowned—it wasn’t human flesh.
He hadn’t eaten much pork before, and today was his first time seeing raw pork, so he might not be very familiar, but he had seen many corpses. At a glance, he recognized that what Yu was holding was definitely not human flesh!
In the dead of night, a widower ran here to cut meat?!
Everyone was puzzled and confused.
What was he doing?
Yu was patient. A piece of meat weighing three or four jin was sliced into countless strips the thickness of fingers. Then, he placed those meat strips in several different spots.
After that, the four from Kaifeng Prefecture heard a rustling sound. Then, from the shadows, countless cats emerged!
Yu’s face visibly lit up with excitement. He clenched his fists, clearly wanting to approach but dared not. He squatted not far away and whispered softly, “Eat, quickly eat.”
The little cats seemed accustomed to being fed. After a chorus of meows, they really started to munch away!
The four hiding in the dark were as if struck by lightning: “…”
What the heck? Sneaking out at night to feed stray cats?!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage